Do Original Volunteers Get Paid?

When you think about volunteerism, the picture that is likely to first come to mind is working for free. And it is true that volunteer work by its very nature is the offering of one’s services for the benefit of a particular person, group of persons or cause without expecting any financial compensation for the rendering of such service. So strictly speaking, volunteer work would not attract any pay.

But many volunteer organisations take cognisance that while original volunteers would ordinarily work for free there are certain realities that may require that some form of compensation to be provided to ease the burden of volunteerism. When applying for volunteer work, the issue of expenses and stipends is one of the first things you should be clear on from the word go.

Some organisations will require that the volunteer cover all their expenses including food and travel. Usually, volunteer contracts that are close to where you live or that last less than one year will not provide a stipend.

On the other hand, organisations will provide some stipend and/or expense reimbursement for volunteer contracts that will last for more than one year or that will require international travel. But the entitlement to a stipend is also a factor of one’s skills and level of education. Volunteer work that requires a technical skill such as emergency relief, engineering, health care, environmental management and teaching is more likely to have a stipend than non-technical volunteerism.

Of course, as a volunteer one may choose to waive their stipend or request that it is channelled back to the community or not-for-profit organisation they are working with. This is more so for persons that already have a steady, sustainable source of income from other source and are in volunteer work solely as a means for giving back to society. Some organisations will only reserve the stipend for students trying to save up for their college fees or retirees that may not have enough money to meet their daily expenses.

Note that reimbursement for original volunteers does not necessarily have to come via a monthly or weekly cash stipend. The organisation may directly cater for the volunteer’s expenses such as travel, accommodation, meals, health insurance and insurance cover against injury experienced during the course of duty. The organisation may also cover only a certain proportion of each expense with the volunteer catering for the rest.

Reimbursement can also be in the form of sponsorship for formal training required to discharge one’s volunteer duties effectively. For instance, one prominent international relief organisation provides a formal nursing assistant training for any volunteer who commits to work with the organisation for a minimum number of years.